Fast Lane

by Jennis Slaughter

  Addi jerked back from examining her cheek in the reflection of the RV’s microwave door. “Uh...yeah. Just packed an overnight bag with some stuff and a thing of food for Deuce. Don’t worry I’ll have him up and out of the hotel before he makes a mess.” She grabbed her bags and purse and rushed out of the RV.

  “Addi...stop.” Sam reached out to halt the young woman. She walked over and stood in front of her. “You have nothing to be ashamed about.” She wanted to hug the girl, but didn’t know how well that would go over.

  “I just watched my father try to rip somebody’s head off because he’s an angry drunk. I’d say that’s definitely something,” she sulked.

  Giving in, Sam wrapped her arms around the girl, and held her close. “I would rather he try and rip my head off than to touch you again. And that is one thing that I can promise you...he will never touch you or any of your family again. Okay?” The blonde leaned back a little so that she could look in the Addi’s eyes.

  Watery gray eyes looked up at Sam as Addison smiled and let her new friend hug her. “Okay,” she whispered. Something inside her told her that no matter what, Samantha would never let anything happen to her ever again.

  “Now let’s go.” Escorting the young woman out of the RV, Sam made sure that she was safely inside before she murmured to Drew, “Contract the track and make sure that her RV is towed to my storage unit.”

  He nodded and sent a text message to her assistant, Nick. The ride to the hotel was spent with Sam watching Addison pet Deuce while she flipped through a brochure for the Formula 1 School.

  Getting to the hotel, Sam was met by Nick and after he was introduced to Addison and Deuce, they rode up the elevator and walked the younger woman to her room. Using the key card, Sam opened the door and waited until the copper-haired girl walked in, before she handed her the key. “You’ll be safe here and I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Addi took the card with wide eyes. She wanted Sam to stay with her, but she bit back her words. “Oh...umm, okay.” She smiled weakly and waved goodbye.

  Waiting until the door closed, Sam turned and headed to the presidential suite, Nick beside her. She winced as the doors opened. The blonde could hear furniture crashing and glass breaking. A dark haired young man stood next to the door whom Sam could only assume was the hotel manager. Sticking out her hand, she walked up to the older gentleman. “Will a six with five zeros behind it be enough you think?” That was the amount of her last breakup room.

  “Just make sure the check is on my desk before seven am tomorrow, Ms. Dupree. I would hate to have to revoke your rights to stay in our hotels because your...friends can’t control their tempers. Have a lovely evening,” the hotel manager said smartly before nodding to them both and leaving down the elevator.

  Sam held out her hand, waiting for Nick to put the checkbook in it. “I’m surprised that you didn’t have it filled out already.”

  “I’d rather not be yelled at for wasting a company check with the name Dupree on it.” Nick sighed, as he heard Becca toss another vase across the room.

  “Ha, ha. Take this right down, and first thing in the morning, get a lawyer over to talk to Addison’s mother to offer her and her other children protection. Do whatever you have to do to make them safe. Understand?” Sam signed the check with a flourish.

  “You got it Sam. Whatever you want.” The assistant smiled, handing over the master key card for the hotel which the manager had given to him earlier. “Good luck.” He smiled before the elevator doors closed behind him.

  Sam smiled as she turned and faced the door. Becca must have heard her voice because it had become very quiet inside. Using the card key, she let herself in and looked at the damage.

  Down feathers from the suite’s pillows coated every surface, including the ruined couches which were covered in expensive wine. Her laptop lay smoldering in the fireplace, along with her suitcase. Both TV’s had been smashed by crystal ashtrays, and there was a smell of cigarette smoke in the air. Becca sat at the bar drinking a dirty Martini and smoking a cigarette. “Hey baby, like what I’ve done with the place?”

  “Looks like the place that I found you in, so you should feel at home.” Sam walked over to the bar and grabbed a bottle of water. “Nick is waiting for you downstairs. The clothes in the suitcases and on your back are all that you’ll get. There’s a one-way ticket to Topeka waiting for you at the airport. Have a good flight.”

  “If I didn’t know you better I’d say this was foreplay....” Becca smiled, exhaling smoke out of both of her nostrils. “Is your new little plaything highly offended by you sucking face with another woman?” She threw her head back laughing.

  “I have no idea, I’ve just gotten tired of being around a blood sucking leech, and thought that I would clean house.” Sam took a sip of the water as she leaned back against the counter, crossing her legs at the ankles.

  That stopped Becca. “Leech? I didn’t think you’d call it blood sucking when I go down on you every night, but fine, have it your way. You’ll miss me. I can tell that you already miss your expensive little belongings.” Becca stood up, putting the cigarette out directly on the bar top. She then poured her drink over the top of Sam’s head with a nasty little smile.

  Licking the liquor as it dripped down her face, Sam smiled. “Well, at least you’re using better gin.”

  Becca grabbed her purse and stormed out of the hotel room, leaving Sam sitting at the bar. Her phone beeped with a text from Nick, letting her know everything had been taken care of for the morning. He’d stopped by Addi’s room and gotten Deuce’s papers along with her passport to speed things up for her in the morning.

  Sam walked over to the fireplace and poked through the clothes. “Damn, I really liked those leather pants.” After picking through the remains of her clothes in the fireplace, Samantha gathered up what she could and headed to the front desk to find another room. Once there, she was told that the room that she had gotten for Addi had been the last one, and she hung her head and sighed. The desk clerk reminded her that the sofa in that room opened into a bed so she reluctantly went back upstairs and knocked on the door.

  It took a few moments but Addison opened the door with a toothbrush in her mouth. The younger girl was wearing a small University of Texas faded football jersey and white Calvin Klein bikini briefs for men. She looked adorable, and a bit confused. “What’s up?” she asked around her toothbrush. Sam was relieved to see that at least the girl’s cheek wasn’t swollen.

  Keeping her eyes above the woman’s waistline, Sam had the grace to blush. “My room isn’t fit to sleep in and you have the last room. They said downstairs that your sofa folds out into a bed.”

  Addison smiled warmly, pulling the toothbrush out of her mouth as she opened the door wide enough for Sam to enter. “Come on in. My hotel room is...uh, your hotel room?” she finished lamely walking back into the suite and bending over to push Deuce off the couch in the living area. She then started unfolding it out into a nice soft bed for her boss. “Here ya go.”

  Sam groaned inwardly at the shapely display of Addison’s butt, and closed her eyes, mentally going over the gas to oil ratio. Clearing her throat, she smiled and said, “Thanks, I won’t keep you up. I’m just gonna crash.”

  “Okay.” Addi smiled over her shoulder as she finished up with the couch. Leaving it alone, she went into the bathroom to finish her nightly routine.

  Sam sat on the sofa bed and sighed. “Damn! It has been a long-ass day,” she thought to herself. She tugged off her boots, placed them next to an end table, and unbuttoned the top button of her jeans. Curling her toes in the plush carpet, she slowly took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before slowly releasing it. She did that a few times, getting rid of the day’s stress and preparing her mind for sleep.

  Listening carefully, she was able to tell when Addison was finished with the bathroom, so she grabbed her toothbrush and her hairbrush from her briefcase. Padding quickly into the bathroom, she turned
on the light and shut the door. Placing her items on the counter, she looked at herself in the mirror.

  Dark circles under her eyes were proof that she hadn’t been getting enough sleep, as were the aches running all over her body. Sighing, she shrugged out of her clothes and got into the shower. Turning the water to a pleasant temperature, she almost moaned in pleasure as she let it cascade over her body; easing the tight muscles and stressed ligaments. After a few minutes, she grabbed the bottle of shampoo that was sitting on the edge of the tub, and washed her hair. The aroma reminded her of holding the young woman in the RV, and how good it felt.

  Sam groaned as she realized where her thoughts were taking her, knowing that it could not lead to anything worthwhile or merit the possibility of jeopardizing her business. There was no way that she would do anything to sully her father’s name.

  Finishing up, she rinsed, shut off the water and got out to dry off. She slipped her panties back on, put on her shirt, turned off the light and slowly opened the door. Seeing the room dark, she started to head towards the sofa bed, when she caught a glimpse of Addison asleep.

  The moonlight from the open window cast a pale ray of light across the copper-colored hair, making it shimmer and the bronzed body glow. Sam didn’t know how long she stood there staring until her mouth became dry and she had to swallow. Slowly turning, she went to the sofa bed to go to sleep.

  For the longest time, the blonde lay on the foldout bed, covered by a sheet, trying to get the memory of Addi out of her mind, before she finally drifted off to sleep.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Addi didn’t dare open her eyes as she felt Sam stop next to her bed. She could feel her commanding presence, even with her eyes closed. The younger driver shivered in her bed from the feel of her boss’s eyes on her. What in the hell was wrong with her? This was another woman, her new boss.

  She wasn’t going to throw away her only shot to get away from her father on some schoolyard crush. The only reason Sam was looking at her this way was because she was probably sizing her up. Yes, that’s exactly it, she thought. She’s measuring you up.

  Addison yawned and turned her head the other way as she felt her boss leave the side of the bed and slide onto the fold out bed across the room. A while later, making sure that Samantha’s breathing had evened out, Addi very carefully slid the covers back before crawling panther like over the hotel room floor to slide up next to Sam.

  The F1 driver had her arms thrown out to the side like she embraced the world, and Addison shook away any image of being wrapped inside those lithe, strong arms. No. Stop day-dreaming about your boss! You’re not a lesbian, even if she is. Besides, she wants someone who’s strong, not some wimp like you.

  For a while, Addi sat like that on her knees, watching Sam sleep. She was so powerful, but it was also dangerous to sit this close to her sleeping boss. What if she woke up and caught you? You’d probably be fired.

  The young copper-headed girl crawled back into bed yawning, and wrapped her arms around her pillow, closing her eyes. With the stress and excitement of the day, she’d forgotten how tired she was, and she drifted off to sleep easily.

  A finger trailed over her lips and Addison opened her eyes to find Sam kneeling beside her on the bed in just a small white shirt and black panties. Addi gulped and smiled weakly at her boss.

  “Hey Sam,” she whispered, moving to sit up, but the blonde straddled her lap with a grin.

  “Where do you think you’re going Addi?” Sam whispered back as she put her hands on either side of the copper waves that fell over Addison’s pillow, their faces inches apart.

  “Uh...um...nowhere?” Addison whimpered, as Sam’s mouth moved towards her own and her eyes closed.

  Just as their lips began to touch, Addison jolted awake.

  Sitting straight up in the bed, the younger driver gasped covering her mouth with one hand and her heart with the other. Her chest pounded like a steel brass drum and her lips trembled as her eyes shot to her boss who was still asleep on the foldout sofa.

  “Oh my god, oh my god, oh...my...god,” she groaned falling back onto the bed, covering her face with a pillow. “Get a hold of yourself Addison McCloud, you are about to ruin your life and hers!” she screamed at herself internally.

  Moving the pillow, Addison turned to look at the clock. It was eight thirty, just enough time for her to shower and blow-dry her hair. Addi hopped off the bed and raced into the bathroom. Since she’d never even had illicit dreams or thoughts about anyone, the girl didn’t even understand to take a cold shower. So she settled for warm water and bathed quickly, while washing shampoo and conditioner out of her hair. Satisfied she smelled normal, she cleaned up the bathroom and stepped out of the shower. Addison then wrapped a towel around her body and towel dried her long copper hair as she walked over to the bed next to Samantha’s couch.

  During the course of the night, Sam had pushed the covers away from her body. She now lay in the white V-neck shirt Addi had dreamed about her in, along with a black thong. Thankfully, the sheets lay bunched just below her lower back so Addi didn’t get a glimpse of the F1 driver’s illicit charms. However, her eyes zeroed in on a small tattoo that had her smiling. A Georgia peach was tattooed on her lower back along with blossoms and leaves. Addi bit her lip with a smile, even though she knew she’d never find out if Sam really did taste like a peach.

  Addison clapped a hand to her forehead and groaned. “Get a fucking grip or you’re going to lose your new job!” She sighed inside her head before leaning down to shake Sam’s shoulder.

  “Miss Dupree, we’re going to be late, it’s eight forty-five,” she whispered.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  After their plane touched down in France, Addison and Sam separated. Addison was carted off to F1 School in Le Luc France, near Monaco and St. Tropez. Sam however went directly back into the season. Just because she’d picked up a new driver didn’t mean the season came to a grinding halt for her.

  Occasionally when Addison’s schedule allowed for her to have a break, she was flown to wherever Sam was racing at that day, but Addison really only saw glimpses of her boss on race days. Sam was always busy with the press, or talking to her pit crew. Addi understood and she was never angry, but she was lonely.

  After her first month at school, Addison came to Arnie with some serious concerns.

  “I don’t speak French or even any basic Spanish,” she complained to her pit boss while she sat on a stack of tires.

  “Well, what do you want to do?” Arnie asked as he fiddled with a piston that wouldn’t slide right. He pushed his hat back and looked at his driver.

  “I want a translator and a bodyguard, these French guys don’t take no for an answer, and I can’t take Deuce to a classroom,” Addison whispered fiddling with her shorts.

  “I’ll see what I can do.” Arnie smiled.

  Addison jumped up and threw her arms around her pit boss. “You are the best, I’m so glad Sam hired you!” She smiled.

  “I doubt she would have hired me if you hadn’t said anything.” Arnie laughed, hugging her back.

  “Liar.” Addison smiled. “Hey, after lunch do you want to go to a junkyard and see if we can find me something to fiddle with? I get bored and I can only work on classroom cars for so long...” Addison trailed off with a smile.

  “Fine, let me finish up and we’ll get something to eat,” Arnie replied, putting the engine parts back on the counter.

  After a light lunch, Addison and Arnie were prowling around a junkyard near Monaco when she pushed aside a tarp cover and gasped. “Arnie!” she yelled.

  “What? Did you see a snake?” He came jogging over, as fast as a potbellied man could jog.

  “No, look.” Addison had uncovered a bike she wouldn’t have been able to find in the States without pushing a few grand across a table. It was a beat up 1971 Triumph Bonneville that had seen some better days. “Bet it belonged to a college kid who was backpacking and just left it here when he took off back to t
he States,” she whispered, pulling trash off it. “Man, I bet I could fix it up too.”

  Addison was becoming bored with being alone all the time, when the only people that spoke her language were Arnie and her instructors. There weren’t many people that talked to her in France; apparently, the French didn’t really like Americans that much.

  “Bet you could too. I’ll go tell the yard master what we found and I’ll see how much he’ll take to part with it.” Arnie smiled.

  “Just don’t tell him how good of condition the motor is in. It needs new seats, wires and whatever else, but it’s fixable.” Addison smiled tugging the bike into a rolling position and began to push it forwards towards the gate.

  While Addi pushed the bike towards the gate, she thought about the last couple of weeks. She’d flown to Spa, Belgium, Montmelo, Spain and Monzela, Italy, and every time she stepped off the plane, she’d tried to dress like Sam. Heels, skintight jeans, hair perfectly rolled, but she kept her make up light. She’d stood in the tent and sat quietly on the headsets watching her boss race with her temporary blocker. Sam was good; she was better than good, she was amazing.

  No one could touch her in that Formula 1 car, and it was obvious the Italians were pissed that they couldn’t get around her. She could hear them screaming in the next tent over. Sam had tried to make it back to the tent after winning the race, but she’d been waylaid by reporter after reporter. And Addison, who had to be back on the plane in time for class the next morning, had missed her boss all together.

  Maybe when next season started they’d spend more time together. Addison really missed her new friend. They emailed back and forth via Blackberry, but it wasn’t the same as face time.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Sam was sitting at the table underneath the awning of her RV, enjoying the downtime between races. Italy was beautiful, but all she got to see of the countryside was as she raced by. The track at Monza was one of the oldest, and the one of the most prestigious in the circuit, and Sam wanted to win it really badly.